"By order of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and under the direct supervision of the head of the counterterrorism department, ... forces attacked the so-called Dijlah pocket, which houses IS terrorist groups in the Ain al-Jakhsh region. ... During this heroic operation, 42 IS terrorists were killed," Rasool wrote on Twitter.

According to the spokesman, the operation was backed by the international coalition.

The Iraqi government declared victory over the Islamic State in 2017 after three years of fighting against the group, although pockets of militants remain in certain areas of the country.